Kaoma teachers threaten strike action

Mongu, May 22, ZANIS —–Teachers in Kaoma district of Western province have threatened to down tools if government implements its decision of removing double class and responsibility allowances.

Three teacher unions said this when they stormed Kaoma District Commissioner, Joster Manjolo’s office yesterday.

The three teacher unions that stormed the District Commissioner’s office were the Basic Education Teachers Union of Zambia (BETUZ), Zambia National Union of Teachers (ZNUT) and the Secondary Schools Teachers Union of Zambia (SESTUZ)

ZNUT Chairperson Musangu Chipango said his members have objected the halting of their double class and responsibility allowances as the move will negatively affect the performance of pupils in the district.

Mr Chipango complained that government was supposed to take stock of its teachers in order to find out those who were getting the allowances illegal adding that the step will affect even those deserving teachers who were getting the allowances legally.

And BETUZ Chairperson, Inambao Mutata said that his teachers who were getting the allowances have already downed their tools as the move was done abruptly without following laid down procedures.

Mr Mutata said as a union they supported equal pay for equal work and that it does not support those teachers who were getting the allowances without offering quality service that go with the allowances.

He said majority of teachers were receiving double class and responsibility allowances due to shortage of staff adding that the move will greatly disadvantage pupils as they were going towards writing their examinations.

And District Commissioner Manjolo has since allocated transport to all the three teacher unions in the district to take stock of the teachers in about 100 schools spread across the district to find out deserving teachers for the allowances.

Mr Manjolo has reiterate the move taken by government as a good one as it will ensure that only deserving teachers enjoyed the allowances as government through the ministry of education was losing more money on ghost teachers in the country.

He said the laws on the condition of service on teachers were clear and advised all the consortium of teacher unions to ensure that all those who would be found getting the allowances illegally be reported to his office so that punitive measures could be taken.

Meanwhile, Kaoma District Education Board Secretary, Ms Mutumba Sendoi said that the district has 1,245 teachers in 102 basic schools and that over 500 teachers were still needed in order to cushion the shortage of man power in the schools in the district.